Work & commute · Olean

Work & commute in Olean, NY

About one in 3 of Olean’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Allegany (10%), Olean (3%) and Little Valley (3%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

37%

2,052 of 5,515 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

14 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 3,463 Olean residents head out of town to work, 2,052 work right here, and 5,484 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Olean.

3,463live here, work elsewhere

2,052live and work here

5,484work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Olean goes to work

Olean (in town)right here

37%2,052

Allegany5 mi away

10%527

Olean1.6 mi away

3%187

Little Valley19.3 mi away

3%175

Buffalo59.9 mi away

2%132

Salamanca15.9 mi away

2%123

Cuba13.1 mi away

2%97

Amherst66.2 mi away

2%94

Portville4.3 mi away

2%91

New York252.9 mi away

1%72

Everywhere elseother towns and states

36%1,965

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Olean commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

53%

15%

26%

53%Under 10 mi

15%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

26%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Olean is balanced between jobs and homes

1.37jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.37 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Olean are

7,536 jobs are based in Olean. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Olean’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Olean

7,536 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)20%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month54%

Jobs Olean residents hold

5,515 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month53%

−10%

Jobs based in Olean, 2013 → 2023: 8,352 → 7,536. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.